Shirley Matthews Crisp, 79 of Cascade, VA passed Sunday, November 16, 2025. The family will receive friends from 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., Friday, November 21, 2025 at St John United Methodist Church, 1112 Center Church Road, Eden, NC. The “Homegoing” service will begin at 11:00 a.m. with interment following at Hairston’s Family Cemetery 174 Shady Grove Rd. Eden, NC.

A public viewing will be held from 3:00 p.m.– 6:00 p.m., Thursday, November 20, 2025, at Perry-Spencer Funeral Home 511 Henry St. Eden, NC.

Livestream will be on Perry-Spencer Funeral Home Facebook account

Shirley Matthews Crisp, born October 3, 1946, departed this life on November 16, 2025, at her home. She was preceded in death by her parents, Clarence and Sarah Matthews and younger brother, Karl Matthew.

Shirley grew up in Athens, GA, raised by her grandparents who owned a greenhouse. She grew up working around flowers and understanding the challenges that faced black business owners in the south during the Civil Rights era. As a result, upon enrolling in Claflin University, she found her passion for activism and speaking up for those who didn't have a voice. She participated in voter registration drives and met her future husband, Arthur Crisp, through their involvement in the NAACP.

Shirley graduated with a degree in music and a lifelong love of her Zeta Phi Beta sorors and went on to complete two master's degrees in education from NC A&T University. Her passion for helping others was never more evident than her commitment to educating generations of children in Rockingham County. For more than two decades, she served as a sixth-grade teacher, assistant principal, and principal of Leaksville - Spray Elementary School (formerly L-S Intermediate School). Upon retiring from NC in 2000, she joined Martinsville City School as a principal of various schools before retiring from the district in 2008. However, retirement didn't last long - she made a brief return to Rockingham County as an interim principal of Reidsville Middle School. Shirley was never one to stay on the sidelines, though. Her love of music, specifically the piano brought her into the the world of church choirs at an early age and continued throughout her adult life when she served as pianist for both St. Stephens UMC in Madison, NC and her home church St. John UMC in Eden, NC. She also served on several community boards during her life, most recently the board for the Cascade Volunteer Fire Department.

Her pride and joy, though, were her family - husband, Arthur and daughter, Charlie. She and Arthur could frequently be found around town and were known for delivering holiday cakes and lunches to their favorite businesses and the Eden PD. She could be spotted easily in her car with the vanity “Wake Mom” plate, a nod to how proud she was of her daughter being a Wake Forest alumni. Her two furry kids, Fluffy and Diggy, were almost always along for the ride.

In the wake her passing, her life will continued to be honored by her husband, Arthur Crisps (Cascade, VA), her daughter, Charlie Crisp (Huntersville, NC); two sisters, Mildred Butler-Harris (Temple Hills, MD) and Carolyn Adams (Fort Washington, MD), a brother, Lawrence Chris Matthews (St. Petersburg, FL), and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, an honorary granddaughter, friends, former students and “her teachers”, who she cherished gathering with regularly in retirement.

Shirley always believed in giving flowers to the living, a habit she demonstrated during her lifetime. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to: Claflin University Loyalty Band fund or St. John UMC.